The Lion and The Lamb
by RachelLovesYou6
Summary: Clare Edwards is a normal Christian girl at home, and snobby to everyone at school because of her dark past with friendships and relationships. But will a mysterious green eyed boy, Elijah Goldsworthy, make her feel like she can truly be herself?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Cages

**Hey. I'm writing a new story, because a good friend of mine, Natsuki Sato, was a 15****th**** reviewer on one of my stories. So she got to choose a story for me to write. So here you go… and if you all like it, please send reviews and I might actually make this a full story, and not just one chapter… it depends on my mood, and what you all think (:**

**OOO**

**Clare POV**

I sat down at my desk with a loud sigh, knowing that this is going to be a long and boring year. With my new haircut and my laser eye surgery, people might look at me different, I want that. Last year… everyone treated me like crap and I hated it.

I watched the kids pile into the classroom, looking at me like I am a whole new person. I smiled at all the attention and turned around, drawing designs on my notebook. I wasn't paying any attention to my surroundings, so that's why I didn't notice Drew Torres sitting down next to me.

Drew is the captain of the football team. Millions of girls are so desperate to get his attention, or even talk to him. He is one of the hottest guys in school, next to KC Guthrie. Drew has deep blue eyes, which or like a sea of diamonds and his hair is a dark brown, like chocolate.

What really caught my attention was when he slammed his books down on the table. I jumped and looked over, at the beautiful boy sitting next to me. He smiled and winked, making a small blush appear on my face.

"Hey, Clare…"  
>Oh my god, he's talking to me… he's actually talking… TO ME!<br>"H-hey Drew." I stuttered looking at him through my eyelashes.  
>"Look at me, please." He turned around making our knees touch, my cheeks became a darker red and I looked up at him, with our eyes locking.<br>"You look great Clare. Why would you be hiding such blue eyes?" He smiled and lifted his hand up, placing a strand of hair behind my ear. My breathing hitched and he scooted over closer, placing face beside mine.  
>"Meet me at the Dot after school, 4:30"<br>I nodded and quickly turned around to face the front of the room, leaving him behind with a small smile spread across his face.

This is going to be a good year.

**OOOO – The Dot – **

I waited in front of the Dot for Drew to show up. It was exactly 4:45, and I was beginning to think he stood me up. I waited for 10 more minutes trying to spot him, but no sign. Drew was going to be sorry tomorrow; he asked me out and then stands me up? That's not how it's supposed to work.

My eyes filled up with tears, I can't believe that I fell for him. This morning, I talked to the sweet and confident guy, and now… I can see him for who he truly is. I should've listened to Alli when she told me he was bad news. I felt stupid, desperate, for even believing him.

I walked away from the Dot and cried softly as I approached the park. I sat down on the swings and dug my feet into the light sand and swayed slowly back and forth. I placed my hands to my eyes and wiped away the loose tears. I pulled out my phone and looked through my contacts, stopping on Drew's name. I opened a direct message to him and angrily sent him one.

_You lied to me; don't even talk to me tomorrow. Just, leave me alone.  
>- Clare<em>

When the text sent I threw my phone across the sand area and fell to my knees. I know it's stupid to be upset about this, but I went out with KC once for almost 2 months. Once he stood me up for something, when I left the movies some girl came and nearly put me in the hospital, it was just a test to see how stupid and desperate I was. After that, I didn't trust anyone for almost 3 years, the only friend I had was Alli.

I placed my back up to the wooden pole and bent my knees up to my chest, crying steadily in my arms. I was once again interrupted by a teenager, short… had light blue eyes with a gray beanie. He cleared his throat and stood in front of me.

"What do you want?" I asked in a harsh voice.  
>"Oh, well… I saw that you were upset, and I wanted to see if you were… okay." He said with a sweet smile.<br>"Oh, well thank you… and I am going to be okay." I sniffled, not noticing the small tear escaping my eye.  
>"Well, to me, it seems like you're not… do you want to talk about it?" He asked softly sitting down next to me.<br>"I don't really open up to strangers…" I told him nervously shifting in my place.  
>"Well, I'm Adam." He placed his hand out, making me laugh.<br>"I'm Clare."  
>"Nice to meet you, Clare. Well, we aren't strangers anymore"<br>I smiled, and shook his hand.  
>"Now, tell me what's bugging you. I will tell you all about me." He whispered looking around the park<br>"You first…"  
>"Well… I am a… promise not to tell, anyone? I trust you, like a lot… even though I just met you, you seem like the person that doesn't give secrets away."<br>"Of course not, Adam… I won't tell anyone."

He sighed, gathering sand into his hands.

"I'm a female to male transgender. I have a girl's body, but I'm male between the ears."  
>My eyes widened.<br>"Oh…"  
>"Wow, you took that well, usually people freak out and run away…. Now tell me about you."<p>

I nodded and took a deep breath and explained everything that happened with Drew, and last year at school… how people treated me different and now the hottest guy in school asked me on a 'date', and he stood me up. Adam explained that the next day, act like someone who people would least expect me to do, like act snobby. He told me what to do, and I agreed just thinking about how everyone will react.

When we were finished talking, I had the whole plan worked out. I was going to be a total bitch to Drew, and to some people who were to me last year. I liked the idea.

Adam seemed pretty confident when he told me about him being a transgender, and I personally have no problem with it… because my dad's brother has the same problem. Even though I just met him, he seems like he could be a really good friend. We swapped our numbers and started to walk home.

We talked for a little about school and our family. Adam is going to transfer into Degrassi next week, so now I have a friend there. It would be cool to at least know one person who truly knows me for who I am.

I finally reached my doorstep and watched Adam walk down the sidewalk into his house a row of houses down from mine, it seems like I have a new neighbor that I didn't know about. I smiled at myself and entered the door seeing my mom and dad on the couch watching a movie.

"Hey mom, um, I'm going to go take a shower…"  
>"Okay baby." She looked over and smiled at me.<p>

I walked up the stairs and went inside my bedroom to get some pajama's to change into after my shower. I noticed Darcy was all dressed up and applying makeup on her flawless face.

"Hey Darc, what are you doing?"  
>"I'm going on a date with Peter." She said in a snobby tone.<br>"You're still dating him? He's like a …. Slut." I giggled at my comment, making Darcy turn around.  
>"He is not! You don't even know him, Clare!" She yelled making me laugh more. "I don't see what's so funny. You're the one who was desperate enough to meet Drew at the Dot."<br>"W-What are you talking about?"  
>"Everyone knows, Clare… after you got your new look, Drew pretended to like you, so he lead you on. It was all a trick."<p>

I had enough of her! "You're such…."  
>"Such a what, Clare...Hmm?"<br>"A... Bitch!" I yelled throwing the items on the dresser down onto the floor. "You think you are so perfect Darcy. You think that everyone loves you, when really everyone HATES you!" I screamed stomping out of them room, leaving a speechless Darcy behind.

I slammed the door to the bathroom, pulling out the sharpest item I could find. I lifted my sleeves up and eyed the bright pink and purple scars going up and down my arms. I haven't cut in a long time, because life at home was good… so far. Last year my parents took me out of school for a therapy session every week and even put me in a mental hospital! I placed the blade on my wrists and put pressure making a small incision on my arm. When I first saw the small amount of blood, I stopped. I remembered the last time I did this. It was when KC cheated on my and posted videos of us together, it wasn't anything bad, but it should've only been between us… and it was embarrassing to me.

I lifted the blade watching the small amount of blood pour from the cut. I decided that I didn't need to do this to myself, not again. My parents don't need a suicidal child. When I closed my eyes feeling the horrific pain coursing through my body, I remembered the plan that Adam told me about. To act like someone totally unexpected, and maybe that will help me make more friends or teach people how I feel. I sure hope this plan works out the way I want it too.

**OOO—Next day - OOO**

I walked into the doors of Degrassi, wearing shorts and a long sleeved shirt. My hair has more curls in it that usual and I had a darker layer of eyeliner on. I stole some of Darcy's Victoria secret perfume this morning and some of her Stilleto's. She would be so mad at me, but I didn't care. All I cared about was to get pay back on these preppy kids, just to see a side of me that no one has seen before.

I took my usual seat in class, and got a head-start of 5th period's homework assignment. I was then, brought back to reality when Drew sat down beside me.

"Hey Drew… I bet you have something to tell me."  
>"Um, what? No…" He stammered making me show a sarcastic smile.<br>"Don't play dumb with me Drew… you know exactly what you did." I snapped at him, making him flinch at my voice.  
>"Okay, I'm sorry… I didn't mean too. It was a stup—"<br>"Oh, okay… a stupid misunderstanding? That's what they all say. 'Oh, It's was a mistake.' Blah… blah… blah… I know you stood me up on purpose, Drew. And you are going to be so damn sorry you did."  
>"Why are you being such a—"The bell rang before Drew could finished his sentence. I smiled, knowing that I just put him in a bad situation. I couldn't wait to thank Adam for this; he's been helping so far.<p>

Class went by quicker than usual, and I couldn't wait to get to my locker. Usually there is 2 slutty girls, Jenna Middleton and Bianca DeSousa. They always made fun of me, and just came around to irritate me. So they were in for a rude awakening.

"Hey Clare-Bear. Did someone get their little heartbroken yesterday?" Bianca teased, making Jenna laugh.  
>"What are you talking about?" I asked, sounding like I didn't get the memo.<br>"When Drew stood you up." Jenna added  
>"You know what, you guys? I am so sick and tired of you all talking and making negative comments to me. No one even likes you, and Jenna… you have a lot of room to talk. Look at you! You have a baby at 15 years old. Yeah, you're a real winner… So before you start making people feel bad about themselves, you should think before you speak… okay?" Jenna started to say something, but then started to walk away.<br>"Wow, Clare… I didn't know you had it in your system… " Bianca said with a small smile.  
>"Well, I'm just tired of people messing with me, you know?"<br>"Um, yeah… well… I'm not doing anything tonight, d-do you think you would maybe want to come over and we could hang out?" Bianca whispered looking around.  
>I smiled brightly. YES! I finally got asked to hang out with one of the most popular girl in school!<br>"Oh, Sure… I would love to. Um, here's my number." I smiled and wrote down my number of a piece of paper handing it to her. I had a feeling that she would humiliate me, but the way she sounded and eyed the people around us, I could tell that she was telling the truth.

Adam's plan has been amazing so far, I've made the bitchiest girl in school walk away from me, and the most popular girl in school ask me to hang out! I was excited…

I know, you're probably thinking that it seems stupid to hang out with popular people, but if you were in my shoes… girls made fun of me, harassed me, judged me, everything. And now since you changed, everyone started talking to you like you're queen bee, it's really an amazing feeling.

I walked down the steps to walk home to finish the day. I walked slowly down the sidewalk, almost bumping in to a tall boy that I've never seen before.

"What where you're going." I snapped, looking up to see who he was.

He had jet black hair and deep, beautiful green eyes. His face had a small bruise on the side and his bottom lip had a scar, like he had just been beat up. He was dressed in black, with dark skinny jeans.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled looking down at me.  
>Our eyes locked, not moving away from each others for one second. My face got hot and I glanced away.<br>"You…" He tilted my chin up. "You… have beautiful eyes." He smirked, making my heart speed up.  
>"T-thank you." I stammered.<br>"I will see you around then." He gave me a gentle nod with his head and walked around me.

"Wow…" I whispered out loud to myself. "He was….."  
>The honking of a horn caught me off guard. I looked up to see who was honking at me. A small grin plastered on my heated up face as I noticed it was Adam sitting in the driver's seat.<p>

"Get in… we have some talking to do." He smiled as I jumped into the car, ready to explode everything that has happened to far. With Drew, Bianca, Jenna, and this mysterious boy who might seem really interesting.

**OOOO**

**Welll, Natsuki Sato, I hoped this is what you meant by your suggestion… I wanted to add a little twist to it, so I hope you liked it.**

**And I have decided to make this into a full-length story, because it seems interesting to me.**

**Don't forget to reviewww(:**


	2. Words Can't Describe

Chapter 2 – Words Can't Describe

**Well, to my reviewer of : ****Degrassifan13x, RQRGJM9311, and Natsuki Sato, ****Your comments made me smile, they are really nice(: So yes, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did last chapter. This one will be in Clare's perspective again, and Eli's will be later on. So please, read (: and leave me some more amazing comments.**

**OOO**

**Clare POV**

"Hey Bianca, um… I was wondering what time I could come over?"  
>"Oh, Clare! Anytime, tonight is going to be so much fun!" She squealed, I could just see her bright smile by the way she was talking.<br>"Great, I'm just leaving the house… I will see you later."  
>"Bye Clare-Bear."<p>

I smiled as I hung up the phone, I've never been called a nickname before, it seems so different to me. I walked down the street, hearing some commotion around the block. When I got to the curb, I noticed that I have gotten some new neighbors. I was going that direction anyways, so why not stop by and meet them.

As I approached their house, I recognized someone fairly familiar. He seemed to notice me too, because he looked at me and smirked. Then, he started heading in my direction.

"Hey, blue eyes." He smiled, and then I remember who he was. He was the guy, who bumped into me yesterday.  
>"Oh… um, Hey." I looked at him through my eyelashes as a blush appeared on my cheeks.<br>"I never got to ask you what your name was." He smiled and lifted my chin up, smiling down at me.  
>"Oh… I'm—" The sound of a car horn startled us both. It was Bianca.<p>

"Get in! We're going shopping." She yelled swapping glances between us. I turned around and smiled sheepishly at him as I got inside the car. As she pulled away, I saw him still standing in the exact spot, looking down at where I was standing before.

"Who was that?" Bianca asked nudging my shoulder.  
>"Oh… him? I don't know… I bumped into him yesterday, and it seems like he's my new neighbor." I changed my voice, into a more snobby, and prissy voice as I entered her car. I didn't want a bad impression, I wanted this plan to work out.<br>"Does he go to Degrassi?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I bumped into him when I exited the school, he clearly wasn't paying any attention to me, and so that's why he nearly knocked me over." I whispered, applying lip gloss on my mouth. I smacked my lips together, placing the lip gloss back into my purse.  
>"He's cute, by the looks of it, he totally seems into you."<br>"Bianca!" I practically screamed. "I barley know the guy! I don't even know his name."  
>"But you think he's cute, I can tell." She smiled.<br>"How can you tell?" I asked tilting my head in her direction.  
>"Because, I can see the way you look at him! Before that dumbass, Drew, stood you up, I could tell that you had a thing for him. Face it Clare! You like him!" She smiled pushing my shoulder, in a playful way.<p>

"I do not! He's not my type…" I mumbled.  
>"Okay, whatever… but if you all get together—"<br>"That's NOT going to happen!" I yelled with a big smile.  
>"Riiiight."<p>

I only shrugged my shoulders and exited out of the car. The light breeze of the wind made my hair go all over the place, great. As we entered the food court, the smell of hundreds of different foods hit our faces, making me melt inside.

"Let's eat later, we need prom dresses." Bianca said, snapping me back to reality.  
>"Oh… what? Dresses, I don't think I'm going."<br>Bianca nearly stopped in her tracks.  
>"Clare Edwards. Are you telling me, that you are not going to prom?" She asked standing a little bit close to me, which started to feel uncomfortable to me.<br>I stepped back.  
>"Well, I don't have anyone to go with."<br>"You don't need a date Clare! I'll go with you, we can get ready at your place." She smiled and linked our arms together, traveling across the mall.

**OOO**

Clare, this is gorgeous! You have to try this on!" Bianca squealed with excitement and she pushed me into the dressing rooms.  
>It was a light golden blue dress, it had one sleeve, and had ruffles going throughout the dress, it had a white belt. It hanged down past my ankles and onto the floor, I can't believe I actually looked…. Beautiful for once.<br>"YOU LOOK GORGEOUS! You have to buy that dress! You HAVE to!" Bianca said in a deep serious voice.  
>"I don't know, I might come shopping later… prom is so far away…"<br>"Okay, now what about this one?"

Bianca tried on a short black dress what went up to her knees. It flared out towards the bottom and was low cut, and I mean very low cut. It had a white belt around the waist and small rhinestones around the bottom and top. She looked… beautiful.

"What do you think?" She asked spinning around.  
>"Oh my god! You look amazing! You have to get that one!" I smiled.<br>She pulled me into a small hug.  
>"Thank you, for coming with me… Jenna would never do this, she hates shopping!"<br>"Really? I would think a bit—" I stopped myself "A girl like her would love shopping ."  
>Bianca smiled. "I wish…"<p>

**OOO**

It was 2:30 in the morning, and Bianca was still up and dancing around. We blasted music and drank this non-alcoholic wine, and I'm starting to think that we got the wrong bottle, because I feel like I've been drunk for hours. I sat down on the couch, with my head off the edge and my feet pressing against the wall. I laughed as I watched Bianca stumble down onto the floor after she did this dance move her friends taught her.

All night, we laughed, partied, ate, and told secrets. Even though Bianca and I just started to hang out, she seemed like a really nice person. When Bianca got out the yearbook for last year's Degrassi students, we couldn't help but laugh at some of the people in there.

We stopped by a few of my friends names, and I felt bad as Bianca made some rude comments about them, as I laughed. When she got to Alli, the huge lump in my throat got caught.

"Alli, I hated her…"  
>"W-what did she do to you?" I asked narrowing my eyes at the beautiful dark skinned girl in the picture.<br>"She just thought she was so perfect, you know…"  
>It was true, so I agreed. Bianca made more mean comments about her, and I couldn't help but laugh. As mean as they were, I didn't want Bianca to get the wrong impression.<p>

We finally fell asleep around 4:30 and woke up at 2:30 the next afternoon. Great, I forgot about church. I quickly grabbed my bag and ran home, leaving a small note for Bianca to read when she gets up. The run home wasn't far, since she just lives right down the street. As I was slowing down, getting closer to my house, saw that mysterious guy standing outside… at his mailbox.

He glanced up, noticing me. He smirked at shut the mailbox and stood in front of me.  
>"Well, we meet again." He smiled.<br>"Hey." I couldn't help but smile at myself either.  
>"Can you finally tell me your name?" He asked with a soft voice, making shivers go down my spine.<br>"Clare…" I whispered looking at his necklace.  
>"Nice name… I'm Elijah… but please, call me Eli." He smiled and leaned back in forth on his feet.<br>"Well, Eli… I have to get going; I'm going to be later for church." I smiled and walked past him, entering onto my street.

**OOO**

I walked up the steps and into the bathroom, taking a quick shower. I quickly and carefully shaved my legs and got dressed. As I entered my bedroom, I could see Eli's house from mine. I guess he noticed that too, because he looked through his bedroom window and waved at me. I smiled and waved back over at him.

I walked down stairs to find both my parents dressed in their best outfits for church.  
>"Hey, are you all ready?" I asked with a smile.<br>"Yep, Darc won't be coming…" My dad said softly, placing a small kiss onto my head.  
>"Oh, why not?" I was kind of happy; I really didn't want to face her.<br>"She isn't feeling well; she went to the doctor's office." My mom butted in.  
>"Oh… okay."<p>

We finally exited the house, and went into my dad's light blue Mercedes Benz. As I got inside the car, I noticed Eli walking down my street with a golden retriever puppy. I smiled at him and told my parents that I would be right back. I ran over to Eli and got down onto my knees, smiling at the puppy.

"What's her name?" I asked rubbing the puppies head.  
>"Uh… well…."<br>"Oh, you haven't found a name yet?" I asked looking up to Eli.  
>"Not really, we just got her." She smiled as the puppy attacked my face with its tongue and slobber.<br>As I was about to say something else, my parents called my name.  
>"Well, I'll see you later Eli." I smiled, and before I knew what I was doing, I pulled Eli into a small hug. I pulled back instantly and walked over to my parents.<p>

"Who's that…?" My mom asked smiling over at Eli.  
>"He's our new neighbor, and well… I was wondering if I could stay and show him around."<p>

I practically begged. I wanted to stay with Eli. Even though we just met, I wanted to know more about him… he seems like a very interesting person  
>my dad took a deep sigh and looked over at my mom. My mom glanced up at him and shrugged her shoulders.<br>"Alright, Clare-Bear…please, can you be back around 8 at the latest." He smiled, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.  
>"Thank you!" I squealed and turned around to see if Eli was still around.<p>

I spotted him and walked off the drive way into his direction. "ELI!" I yelled, pulling all his attention towards me.  
>"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked with a small smirk.<br>"I… I asked my parents if I could stay home today… d-do you want to hang out. I could maybe show you around since you're new here." I smiled faintly and looked up at him through my thick eyelashes.  
>"That would be great." He smiled "Where do you want to go first?" He looked around, and then down to the dog.<br>"I guess the park, there's a lot of stuff there." I smiled and he stepped out of my way, so I was now directly beside him.

I don't know why, but I feel nervous around Eli. Like, there is something between us… When I'm around him, I can truly feel like I can be myself, and not like the girl who Adam told me to be at school.

I snapped back into the real world when I felt Eli's hand brush up against mine. A flood of sparks flew between us, but I quickly pulled away, letting my hair fall to my cheek, so it would hide the blush that it now forming to them.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled.  
>"It's… okay." I said softly back to him. I smiled mentally to myself. "We're here." I grinned and looked up at Eli's flushed face.<br>"Well, where to?" He asked stepping up into the sidewalk.  
>"I guess I can show you the playground, the dog park, and there's also a forest, that leads to a waterfall… it's really pretty." My smiled faded away as a memory flashed into my mind. I was with KC and he took me there for our first date, and he practically forced himself onto me.<br>"Let's go there then… I love waterfalls." He smiled, taking a small step closer towards me.  
>"O-okay, well it's right t-this way."<br>I could practically feel him smirking at my troubles to speak.

**OOO –Next day at School-**

"Class, listen up! We have a new student today… and I hope you all treat him with respect."  
>I sighed. Great another new snobby student, who will only treat me, like everyone else. I turned around to see who this new kid was, and sure enough, there was Elijah Goldsworthy, standing in the doorway, smirking at me. I smiled and waved over to him, glancing over at Drew, who instantly looks jealous. Maybe he did like me, maybe he didn't… but he is out of the picture, he hurt me… so he doesn't deserve a second chance.<p>

Mrs. Dawes seemed to notice my wave over to Eli, so she smiled.  
>"So, I see that you know Clare Edwards… I guess since you each don't have English Partners yet, then you two can work together." She smiled and handed us our packet to start working on.<p>

Eli smiled and thanked the teacher before heading over and sitting down in the seat in front of me.  
>"Hey there, Blue Eyes." He smirked, making me giggle. I placed my notebook to my face hiding my blush.<br>"Hey there." I smiled slightly, glancing over at Drew. He was staring right at me. I started to feel uncomfortable, and I turned around while slumping down into my seat.

"Hey are you okay?" Eli asked, but before I could answer, Jenna came up from behind us.  
>"Well, Clare… looks likes you made a new friend. This is new for you." She sneered nodding her head up at Eli. Eli only looked away in disgust and turned his attention back to me.<p>

"What was that about?" He asked, but my eyes were already starting to fill with tears. "Are you—Oh no… Uh, Mrs. Dawes, can Clare and I be excused." He asked, Mrs. Dawes looked over at us and noticed that Clare was crying.  
>"I guess, hurry back though." She nodded, with a worried look as we exited the class room.<p>

Eli took me outside, with our hall passes, and sat me down onto the school steps.  
>"Clare… what happened, who is that girl?" He asked sitting down on the step below me, to look at me better.<br>"Why do you care, Eli… no one cares about me. I'm just a stupid girl… I'm ugly."  
>Eli didn't answer me. He just looked at me with a serious expression.<br>"Clare… you are not ugly, you are beautiful. You are not stupid; you are one of the brightest girls I've ever met. I care about you so much… because you are like… my only friend. At my old school, I got bullied and people never talked to me. Why? I don't know… because people are stupid, their dumb. They just want you to feel hurt and useless, so they can get the pleasure of being the one hurting you." He smiled. "To me, you are perfect."

I soaked in all those words that Eli just spoke to me, and I instantly felt better. I smiled at his words, and nodded my head.

"No one has ever told me that before." I whispered, looking into Eli's emerald green eyes.  
>"I've never said anything like that before." He chuckled making me laugh.<br>"Well, thanks Eli… you made me feel better."

We both stood up and walked back into Mrs. Dawes room. When we entered, Jenna was sitting at my desk, looking through my notebook. When she stood up, she had a handful of papers, reading my story out loud to the class…my embarrassing, detailed story.  
>"Jenna, give me those!" I yelled, running over to her.<br>"Hahahahaa, Oh Clare… you're going to have to try harder than that."  
>"Jenna, give me my papers… now." I looked around, with all eyes on me, and laughing… my anger took over.<br>"You're such a bitch Jenna! You're a fat ugly bitch!"  
>And of course, with my luck… Mrs. Dawes walked into the classroom, with Principal Simpson.<br>"Ms. Edwards, come with me." I stood there shocked, I didn't do anything! Jenna is the one who was reading my personal stuff.  
>"B-but sir."<br>"No buts! Come with me… now."  
>"But Principal, Clare didn't do anything wrong I was here, right by her side!" Eli came into the conversation, standing next to me.<br>"Okay, so you're so sure, than you come with me too… I want to know what happened."

We both sighed and followed Principal Simpson into his office. He sat us down on the bench and went inside his room. As soon as he shut his door, Eli and I started bursting out laughing.  
>"Gosh, Blue Eyes… I didn't know you could be so harsh."<br>"Oh trust me, you haven't seen anything yet." I smiled, and stood up, and Mr. Simpson motioned us inside his office.

"Can you tell me what happened?" He asked with a low, deep voice.  
>"Well, something happened in class, Jenna made a nasty remark, so I got upset, and she excused us, so I could calm down. Eli came with me, because he really cares and knows what to do to make me feel better." I smiled mentally to myself.<br>"Uh huh, and what happened when you came back to class?"  
>"Well, Jenna, was reading something from my binders, a personal story, that I've been writing."<br>"Well, if it's so personal, then why bring it to school?"  
>"Because, I usually stay after school to work on it, it's quiet here, and I like it."<br>"Right, so what caused you to call Jenna those names?"  
>"Well, she read them out loud, and people were laughing at me, and I have anger issues, so they sort of took over, and that's what happened."<p>

"Okay, well, foul language is against the code… you know that." He stated. I only nodded.  
>"Well, you have one day of detention, starting tomorrow after school. Be in my office at 3:30, and don't be late.<p>

I nodded, pulling my purse over my shoulder. Eli followed behind me, walking out the doors of the school.

"Great… detention." I mumbled.  
>"Well, at least you don't have to do it alone." He smiled.<br>"W-what do you mean?" I asked looking up at him.  
>"Well, I got detention too, for skipping the first day." He laughed.<br>"Oh, Wow… Eli." I smiled too.

Well, this is going to be fun. I'm going to be with Eli, after school hours… exploring and cleaning the school. This may be very interesting.

**OOO**

**Hehe… I liked it.**

**Well Review, please.(:**


	3. I Just Can't Escape

Chapter 3 – I Just Can't Escape

**Well… Uh, yeah. I have nothing important to say… only, this… I know, some of you are saying that Eli and Clare are going to fast… just wait…. There is going to be a little surprise! Hahha, to be honest… it feels weird writing a story without them going out, cause I'm so used to it. LOL. I'll shuddup now.**

**OOO**

**No POV**

Clare walked inside the room to serve her detention time. She mumbled something incoherent under her breath as she looked around the room at the trouble-making seniors, and the teacher she dreaded the most.

Mr. Dale is one of the strictest teachers at Degrassi. If you're just a little bit out of dress code, then you'll get detention without any warnings. If you talk when he says to stop, he'll yell at you and give you detention. He curses every time he comes to school with a hangover, or when his favorite basketball team loses in the final 4 games. He recently went through a divorce, so that's one of the main reasons why he's always grumpy and mean to everyone he comes in contact too.

I threw my books down onto my desk, making some faces turn towards me.  
>"There's nothing to stare at." Clare snapped, making the seniors turn around.<p>

Clare started to write more on her story, when a teenage boy sat down in front of her. She didn't know that it was Eli, so he seemed pretty stubborn when she talked to him.

"Eli… do you want to hang out after this—"  
>"NO talking, or you're going to earn another day in detention." Mr. Dale remarked, making her sit back down into her seat.<p>

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, when a loud voice startled her, making her jump ten feet from her seat.

"Yes… uh, I will have Clare Edwards and Eli Goldsworthy come with me." Mr. Simpson said from behind us. Eli sighed and picked up his bag and placed it on his shoulder. He looked down at her and smirked, making her melt inside a little. She smiled back at him and stood up also, following them out inside the hallway.

"Okay, you two will be cleaning the gym, and the tennis courts. Here are your buckets, and the hose is outside when you need it." He nodded and walked off, leaving them two behind with the buckets and cleaning utensils.

They both walked into the gym and sat our things down onto the ground. They both sighed in frustration, and started on their work. Eli got the windows, while Clare got the floors and bleachers. In 2 hours time, they were done with their work. Eli sat down wiping a bead of seat from his forehead while Clare took a seat next to him.

"I would love to hang out after this." He smiled and closed her eyes taking a sip from his water bottle.  
>"Okay, we need to start on our homework… its due Monday." Clare took a deep breath.<br>"Oh, that sounds like fun." He joked sarcastically making Clare laugh.

"Kids, hurry up… you still have a tennis court to clean." Mr. Simpson said as he walked past the gym doors. Eli stood up, sticking his hand out to Clare's, so he could help her up. She giggled and grabbed his hand, almost falling over on him. Eli caught himself, and blushed when Clare was chest to chest with him. Clare looked into his eyes and then looked away. Eli awkwardly stepped backwards, getting his cleaning stuff ready for the tennis courts.

At that very moment, this was Eli's first time, ever wanted to try to kiss a girl. And not just any girl, it's Clare for crying out loud. Clare is sweet, funny; nice… she's beautiful in Eli's eyes. He didn't understand why she got made fun of, and why people didn't like her. Clare seems like the type of person that everyone would want to know about… but he doesn't know much about her yet. He wanted to though, he just didn't want to throw himself at her and make it awkward between them. Clare is Eli's best friend, even though they just met about a week ago, Clare seems to understand him more than anyone does.

By the time Eli turned around, Clare was already outside and at the tennis courts. Eli stood there, watching her every move through the window. He shook his head at the sound of screaming inside the hallways, and of course, it was Mr. Dale yelling at a student for talking back.

Eli only sighed and took his things outside placing them next to Clare's.

"Hey, um… can you turn on the hose and help me?" She asked struggling with the items she was already holding. Eli laughed and went to help her, so he picked up the bucket and the mop, setting them down onto the courts next to Clare. He followed her instructions and turned on the hose, placing it down to it will get the soap and dirt of the courts.

They were finally finished with everything, and it was exactly 5:30 by the time they finished all their work. They were now drenched in dried up soap, water, and sweat. And now matter what, Eli still found Clare attractive. He personally couldn't wait to spend time with Clare.

Clare walked inside the school and into Mr. Simpson's office. He looked at them, and smiled while taking their items inside the janitors' closet. "Have a nice day."

They nodded, telling Mr. Simpson the same things as they gathered their book bags and headed home.  
>"Um, hey… can I go home and take a shower… I'll text you when we can meet up." Clare broke the silence and Eli only nodded.<br>"Yeah, I need one too… I feel disgusting." He scrunched his nose up and looked down at Clare, and couldn't help but inch towards her a little more. She blushed and looked down at her feet, trying her best to hide her smile.

"Well, I'll text you when I'm ready." Clare smiled  
>Eli was too caught up, to even notice that they were standing in front of his house.<br>"What? Oh, okay… I will see you later." Eli smiled and walked inside his house, with that small smirk plastered onto his face.

**OOO**

Clare quickly took her shower and got dressed, while added on a thin layer on eyeliner. She smiled at herself in the mirror and quickly grabbed her phone to text Eli.

_Hey, Eli… I'm ready (: -Clare_

It was taking a while for him to text back, so she just decided to go outside on the porch and wait for him. She grabbed her purse and her homework, stepping outside to feel the warm breeze come upon her face. She took her iPod and switched to a song, and quietly listened to the soft music. Her phone vibrated telling her that she got a text message

_Hey Blue ;) I'm walking out the door right now, I was thinking we could walk since its such a pretty day. I'll come pick you up. – Eli_

She smiled to herself, as she stuffed her homework into her bag, waiting for Eli to arrive. Finally after 5 minutes, he showed up at her doorstep. He was wearing dark skinny jeans with a white v-neck, which looked quite attractive on him. His hair was the same as it usually was… jet black, and a little messy. And he didn't have any eyeliner on like he usually wears.

She smiled and walked down slowly towards him, standing on the step right above the ground, so she was eye to eye level with him. He smirked at her and stuffed his hands in his pocket.

"W-well, we should get going." Clare stammered, making Eli smile.  
>"Yeah, do you want to… go to the park?" He asked looking into her diamond blue eyes.<br>"Sure." Clare blushed and stepped down the step, walking in front of Eli. Eli only turned around and watched her walk off onto the sidewalk.  
>"Well, are you coming or not?" She asked with a slight grin.<br>"Oh, yeah… I'm coming." He let a small blush appear onto his cheeks.

**OOO**

After a long walk to the park, Clare sat down on the bench and Eli sat down next to her. They both pulled out their homework, and started working.  
>"Alright, if we need help on anything, then we'll ask and help each other." Clare suggested making Eli nod his head with agreement.<p>

"Hey, Clare…"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"What did you get for number 12?"  
>"Here, I'll help you."<p>

Clare reached over Eli, making him scoot back a little. She wrote down on his paper how to start off the problem. As she was explaining everything, Eli was paying to attention to her at all. He was staring at her, deep into her blue eyes. He wanted to kiss her, so badly. To hug her, tell her he loves her. But he knew, he couldn't. Clare would never fall for a guy like him, he thought. They just met, and Eli is already looking at her like she' something to eat. Clare then shifted her weight back over to her side of the bench, making Eli snap back to reality.

"Do you understand?" She asked, looking over at him.  
>He only nodded.<br>"Eli, were you paying attention?" She asked tilting her head.  
>"Uh, not really."<br>"ELI! Come on!" Clare playfully hit his shoulder. And Eli had no choice but to start tickling her.

"E-Eli! Stop it!." Clare laughed trying to push him away.  
>"Nope!" He whispered laughing at her struggle to get free.<br>"Please Eli!"

Clare tried to push him away again, but ended up shoving Eli onto the ground.  
>"Ha Ha! That's what you get!" Clare yelled playfully, helping Eli up.<br>When he stood up, they were chest to chest again, causing that awkward, but magical feeling to come between them again. Clare only looked down and blushed, but Eli grabbed her chin to look into her eyes.

Her breathing hitched as he placed his hand onto her cheek to pull a strand of hair back away from her face. He then placed her hand gently back onto her red cheek and took a small step forward, closing the space between them.

Clare's heart sped up, as he generally got closer to her, with his lips only centimeters away from hers. She felt his hot breath brush up against her face as memoires flooded into her brain. It was the worse memory she could even imagine at this time…

_KC was at her house, and her parents were gone. He hit her, abused her, and left her… just to be found, all bruised and broken. He had just told her he loved her, and then she didn't feel that yet, so he went off the deep end, and abused her._

Eli breathed onto her once more, pulling Clare back to the real world. Her eyes were filled with fear, and she had no other choice. She pushed him away. "No… Stop… I can't" She whispered.  
>"What…" Eli asked, with his eyes starting to fill up with tears.<br>"I'm sorry Eli… I just can't. Not now…" She let a small tear fall and she quickly placed her things into her bag.  
>"Clare, wait… I'm sorry, just don't go… please." Eli begged, but Clare was already walking away.<p>

"Clare…" Eli whispered, but only he could hear it. He let out a shaky breath and he watched her walk away from him, with a hurt look glued onto his face.

He almost kissed the girl of his dreams, and she turned him down. He couldn't help but shove all the paper up on the table, down to the ground. He screamed in his hands and fell down to the ground. He was sobbing quietly when he saw footsteps come up beside him.

"Mom… what are you doing here?" His face went from hurt, to complete terrified.  
>"Why didn't you tell me you went out?" She asked with a soft, innocent voice.<br>"I left you a note." He snapped back.  
>Only, his mom didn't answer… she only smacked him, hard, right across the face, leaving a big red mark.<br>"Don't use that tone with me, Elijah." She pointed her finger at him, and grabbed him by the back on his shirt. "Clean this up, I'll be in the car… you have 5 minutes." She pushed him to the ground.

He just got his heart broken by someone he deeply care about, and now… he has to go home, only to get beaten by his abusive mother.

**OOO**

**Oooh, So, do you all see the difference about how Clare acts in front of Eli and her friends? If not, you are going to see that in the next few chapters. So please. REVIEWW on this, and I will LOVE you all FOREVER!**


	4. For the First Time

Chapter 4- For the First Time

**Well, its been a while… I think? Well, some of you are wondering about my other 2 stories, well…. I never finish what I start, lol… but I'm trying my best. So I love your reviews, you guys are awesome. Well, read… and don't forget to review.**

**OOO**

**Clare POV**

"I don't even know what happened! He just, tried to kiss me." I screamed into the phone. I was getting very aggravated with Alli's stubbornness, she keeps asking me questions even though I already answered them one thousand times before.  
>"Alli! Will you just stop! I just met him! I barley even know who he is… I mean he's cute, and funny… he has a very interesting personality, he's just not like other guys." I whispered looking out my window and over to Eli's house.<p>

Alli kept going on and on about how 'its love' and all this crap that I know that isn't true. I know I should listen to her, because she was right about KC and Drew, but I followed my brain. I got hurt, and she tried to protect me from it. She is probably right about the 'love' thing, but I just don't know. I mean like, hell, I've known him for a week! I think we should at least get to know each other until we become serious.

I sighed deeply listening to Alli's voice, telling me to go to him.  
>"Alli, I have to go… I will call you later." So I lied, I didn't have to go… it was just if she said one more thing, then I would go off on her. She understands though, because I have a slight case of anger issues, so she knows when to stop.<p>

I thought about what happened at the park. The way his eyes were soft when he looked down on me, the was my heart rocketed in my chest. His breath smelled like peppermints and his sent smelled like lavender and limes. When he placed his hands onto my cheek, my heart skipped a beat, but when he got close enough to when I could feel his lips barley touching mine… I backed out because of a memory with KC… one that I would never forget, not even if my life depended on it.

When I pushed him away, I could see the hurt look inside his grass green eyes, the way his mouth parted when I shoved him away. When I walked away from him, every step I took, I could hear him calling out to me. My heart hurt when I heard the softness and cracked sound of his voice. When I got to the sidewalk, I turned around, watching him cry heavily to himself on the ground with all his papers. I wanted to go back so badly, and tell him that I was sorry, but I just couldn't… I didn't want to hurt him by sending him the wrong message. I liked Eli, but I just don't know if I like him like that yet.

I got pulled back down to Earth when my sister walked into my bedroom, finding Adam behind her. Seeing Adam's face made my day brighten up a little. I smiled and gave the skinny boy a tight hug.

"Um, Darcy… can you give us a second." I asked with a pleading look, she only nodded and left the room while shutting the door behind her.

We sat down quietly on the bed, and I told him everything that happened with Eli, and how I got detention for telling off Jenna. He laughed at me as I explained everything that went on that day. He told me that I should just, ignore Eli, until he had the balls to confront me. He even mentioned to even use the plan on him, but I don't know… Eli gets upset easily, and I didn't want him to get hurt.

After a hour or so, Adam left and I took my shower to put the day to rest. I pulled my clothes off, eyeing the scars on my arms with the newly added one I made the other day. I sighed, and held back a small sob as I climbed into the tub. I waited for the shower, I just wanted to cool down, to relax. As the boiling hot water filled the top, I carefully stepped inside the water, to only feel the sting of the water rush against my skin. I hissed at the pain as I slowly placed my body fully inside the water.

I turned on my iPod and listened to a soft song. I hummed the tune to _**Tonight, I Love You – The Latency**__. _ I took a deep breath and sunk down into the water, looking up ay the bright purple ceiling and still listening to the loud music playing around me. When I couldn't hold my breath any longer, I lifted myself up from the water inhaling deeply. I waited for a few seconds and stood up while also turning on the shower.

I washed my hair with my orange scented shampoo and my coconut conditioner. I then washed my body with my vanilla scented body wash, bringing in the sweet smelling scent of all the washes collide together. I smiled to myself as the song changed to one of my favorites. _**Hero/Heroine – Boys Like Girls**_. One of my personal favorites.

As the song quieted down, I placed a towel around my chest and turned off the shower, almost slipping as I stepped out. I caught myself sighing in relief that I didn't hurt myself in any way. I dried off my body, and pulled on some pajama pants and a t-shirt. I looked out the window and over to Eli's house, looking at the tall boy, placing a rag over his eye. He's probably removing eyeliner? I thought. But he turned around, and that's when I noticed that he was… bleeding. I sighed placing my hand over my mouth. Eli turned around, spotting me. I gasped and jumped onto my bed, hoping that he didn't notice that I was there the whole time.

I dived under the coverings, placing the end right under my chin, letting my imagination and thoughts take over. No matter what I thought about, Eli always popped into my brain no matter how hard I tried to kick him out. I just hope he's okay….

**OOO**

**Eli POV**

"Mom! S-Stop it… p-please!" I yelled, covering my hand over my now bruised eye.  
>"What were you doing with that girl?" She roared stepping closer to me, I only scooted back, terrified.<br>"She's me English partner mom, we were doing out homework." I yelled back at her, finally getting the confidence to stand up.  
>"Well, it looked like you were sucking her face to me!"<br>"Mom! We didn't even figgin' do anything."

She didn't even answer me, she just threw me back down to the ground, knocking over the table next to me. She yelled some incoherent things to me and kicked my stomach, making me spit up blood. I stood up, but she only smacked me across the face, make me wince in pain. I held my now bruised abdomen and ran up the stairs, with her running after me. I finally got to my door and slammed It shut while she beat drastically onto the door and kicking it. When I landed down onto my bed, I sobbed quietly into my arms, and thought about Clare. I just wish she didn't pull back on me. I wanted to tell her so bad that I needed help, my mom is abusive and I don't have a dad anymore. He left us when we were little, so my mom became a crack whore and got drunk almost every night. So she abused me.

I cried and stood up, finding a small rag to wipe the blood around my mouth and now blackened eye. When I placed the cold towel onto my swollen eye, I turned around trying to find my cell phone, I walked over to my desk and glanced up looking at Clare's house. I saw he standing there, staring directly at me. I guess she finally found out that I saw her, so she quickly got out of sight, making me frown at the loss.

My mom finally got done beating my door, trying to get me to open it. I was already in bed when I heard her slam the downstairs door shut, and he climbing into the car, driving off to bring some drunk guy home with her, only to—well, you know what… then kicks him out the next morning. I tried to call for help, but my mom only hits me when I threaten her. No one believes me when I tell them, I show them the bruises, but they just get freaked out and don't even talk to me about it.

I closed my eyes and let a small tear fall down my scarred cheek and down onto my pillow. I thought about Clare walking away from me, which made me slightly cry even more than before. I just want her to be mine… I see the way she looks at that Drew kid in our class, I know what he does, because I've heard things about him. I just want her, to look at me like that. When she sees me, I don't want her to give me a smile… I want her face to light up with happiness, I want her heart to speed up when I touch her, and when I compliment her. But I know, that she would never fall for a guy—or even be with a guy—like me. I'm just a stupid teenage boy with a messed up life, no one can ever love me… no one deserves to love me. I don't deserve to have anyone as perfect as Clare

**OOO**

I woke up the next day, with a terrible headache and my stomach feels likes it has been stabbed a million times. I looked inside the mirror, staring at the disgusting person looking back at me. I sighed and pulled on my clothes and applied some make-up to cover the scars. If anyone asks, I will make up a ridiculous story. I grabbed my school bag and headed out the door, not even saying bye to my mom or eating breakfast.

I walked down the sidewalk as the chilly breeze hit my face, making me shiver as I took every step. When I got to the school, I saw Clare. My face lit up, but it died down when I saw her talking to some boy. She looked terrified, and tried to get away from him, but he grabbed her wrists, making her come back to him. She yelled something at him, and stomped off into the school. The guy just stood there in shock and walked away with a pissed looked plastered onto his straight face. I wonder who that was?

I walked through the hallways and stopped when I saw Clare talking to a dark skinned girl with big eyes and long silky black hair. Clare had he back turned to me, so I quickly turned back to the corner, listening to ever word they were saying.

"He said… He said that… he is going to hurt me, if I told anyone what happened." Clare choked up a sob.

What? Hurt _my_ Clare? I whispered out loud.

"Clare… he is not going to hurt you. I promise… what about Eli?"

Whoa… what?

"Alli, I don't know…I'm just confused… I like him, but I just feel like it's going to fast, and Eli was probably just caught up in the moment, he would never fall for anyone as messed up as me." She whispered.

I liked you Clare… That's why I almost kissed you.

The bell rang before Alli could answer her, I took a deep breath and turned the corner, bumping into Clare.

"I-I'm sorry." She whispered.  
>"Clare… are you okay?" I asked while wiping away a small tear from her cheek.<br>"Yes… I mean no. I'm not okay…" She closed her eyes, and looked down at her feet.  
>"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked with a concerned tone.<br>"Not right now… but I have to go." She brushed passed me and into the girls bathroom.

I sighed and walked into my Math class room and slopped down into my seat. As Mr. Monroe explained the pi method, I received a text message, from Clare. I smiled and opened up the phone.

_Hey, um Eli… we need to talk after school. Dot, 4:30? – Clare_

I smiled and replied back instantly.

_Sure, Do you want me to pick you up? – Eli._

_Yes… that would be great (: Bye Eli. – Clare_

I grinned and looked back up at the board. When the sudden noise of the loud bell echoed throughout the school.

I ran to my locker and grabbed my things and ran outside to my car, almost knocking into another student.

"Wow, I'm sorry…" I whispered helping him up.  
>"Its fine, seriously." He smiled. "You're Eli, right?" He asked.<br>"Um, yeah…"  
>"Well, you better look out for Clare, alright?" He smiled and walked away, without giving me time to answer. I just shrugged my shoulders and entered Morty. I smiled as I started the car and drove out of the parking lot and to Clare's.<p>

She was already on the sidewalk, listening to music with her laptop in her hands. She was probably bringing it in case we did our homework. I smirked as she got in and placed her laptop onto her lap.

"So…" I broke the silence. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

She just lowered her head and sniffled.

"Clare… are you okay?" She started crying, she couldn't even get the words out.  
>"Clare, tell me what's wrong." I whispered, placing my hand above hers. She flinched and pulled her hand away.<p>

She finally got the urge to speak. She told me about this guy, KC, and how he abused her, just because she didn't love him, about the videos, the embarrassment he caused for her. And how he threatened her if she told anyone. I was terrified for her.

"Was that the guy that was with you this morning?" I asked holding her into a tight hug.  
>"Y-yes… I'm just scared Eli… and I'm sorry about yesterday, I just… I don't want to go through all of that again." She sobbed quietly.<br>"I know, I am going to give you some time, Clare… and I am not going to let anyone hurt you." I rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.  
>"E-Eli… why do you even like me? How can you even stand to be around me? I'm stupid, and I'm useless… that's why I was put under suicidal watch last year. No one loves me."<br>"Clare… don't say that. Someone in this world is going to love you, just the way you are…" I whispered. But she didn't respond to me.

I just hope, that one day she realizes that I'm the one that will love her, just for who she is. I just want her to know that.

**OO**

…**. Review please… Reviews would be nice.**


	5. Cry Me A River

Chapter 5 – Cry me A River

**Well, all I have to say… is you guys are amazing. Your reviews make me SMILE! :D Well, yeah…**

**OOO**

**Clare POV**

Eli took me took me home after a few hours at the park; I was mostly crying my eyes out after KC approached me. All he wanted to know was if I could get back together with him, but I turned him down. God, what does it take for him to know that I'm never going to get back with him? He hurt me, socially and brutally. I sighed as I got ready for bed, but suddenly interrupted by my computer, telling me that I had received and IM.

I didn't recognize it at first, but by the user name, I could surely tell who it was.

**EliGolds123- **Hey Blue, are you feeling better?

**ClareE153- **Um, yes… thank you. (:

**ELiGolds123- **Anytime you need me…

Before I responded I clicked the 'Accept Friend' button, adding Eli onto my FaceRange account. I smiled at his picture with his mom and little dog.

**ClareE153- **Have you figured out a name for your puppy?

**EliGolds123- **Um, actually yes…

**ClareE153- **Well? What is it? (:

**EliGolds123 – **I named her Blue.

I smiled brightly at my computer screen; he named his dog after what he calls me? That's so cute.

**ClareE153- **Named her after my nickname, huh? Haha well, I got to go Eli… Pick me up in the morning? We could walk to school together.

**EliGolds123- **Sounds great, bye Blue (;

**ClareE153- **Goodnight, Eli.

I smiled at the screen watching him log of the chat. Eli was just so… sweet. He probably thinks I'm crazy for crying for 3 hours straight, but he stayed there with me. He made me feel better, about all this KC drama and everything, he is just perfect.

Right before I was about to log off, I got a message in my inbox by someone unfamiliar. I clicked onto the link and read through the message.

_Clare,_

_Please…. Just meet me at the park when school lets out.  
>We really need to talk. I'm really sorry for everything, and<br>I just want 10 minutes of your time. And don't bring that emo  
>freak with you either. I just want it to be me and you.<br>I will be waiting by the lunch tables.._

_KC_

When is this boy going to leave me alone! I have NOTHING to do with him. I kicked him out of my life the day after he hit me. I'm done with him always apologizing and bickering to me if I do one thing wrong. The only thing I did was not saying 'I love you' back, but hey, you can't blame me! I just… didn't feel that yet.

I replied back to him.

… _I don't think so, KC. You had your chance, and you  
>blew it… you don't deserve and second one either. And don't call<br>my friends names, especially Eli… you don't know a thing about him.  
>Just, don't bother me anymore… please. If you want me to be happy,<br>then just leave me alone._

_Clare_

I felt confident after I sent my message, and waited for a reply. After 5 minutes, I got one back

_Clare, please… just 10 minutes, then I will  
>leave your life forever. I'm only asking you a small<br>favor. Please…_

_KC_

I sighed… maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all? I guess I could just see what he wants. I could have Eli hide, just in case anything gets out of hand. I was probably about to make the worst mistake of my life, but… I just wanted to see what he wanted.

_Fine… just, if you try anything… you have no idea  
>what's coming for you… <em>

_Clare._

He replied almost instantly.

_I promise, nothing it going to happen._

_KC_

I didn't reply back to him though. I slammed my laptop shut and climbed under the covers, placing the end up against my chin. My mind drifted into a million places about what was going to happen. I just hope that it's going to be worth it too.

**OO**

**Eli POV**

After I got off FaceRange with Clare, I decided to take my shower and go on to sleep. I was extremely tired because I was with Clare until 11:30, calming her down. I was just so excited to see her, I didn't actually want to be late for school this time. After my shower, I put on some of my music and went to sleep, not even thinking about what is going to happen next.

I was half way asleep when my bedroom door slammed open, causing the picture on my wall to fall and break. Blue was barking loudly, which made me fully wake up. I rubbed my eyes and looked into the door way only to see my mom standing there with a broken beer bottle and her hair a mess. Great… just when I thought my life was becoming… almost perfect.

"Mom… what are you doing?" I whispered harshly.  
>"Why are you still up? I was trying to sleep" She screamed through her teeth.<br>"I-I'm sorry…" I was now becoming terrified  
>"Yeah right, you always are…"<p>

Before I could answer her, I was already down onto the ground. I placed my hand onto the back of my head, which was now bleeding. "Mom… stop it, please." I cried looking at my bloody hand.  
>"Or what? Hmmm?" She sneered sarcastically. "You're going to call the cops? They'll send you away… then you won't be able to see that slut you call girlfriend." She yelled. That's it, talking about Clare made me lose it.<br>"Don't talk about her!" I yelled kicking my mom down onto the ground. I know, it's bad to hit girls, but its self defense. And abuse is the worst possible thing that could happen. She got back up, but I pushed her back, making her fall onto my dresser with things falling down. Blue was still yelping and barking, I just wanted to grab her and leave this place I like to call hell. My mom stood up, and smacked me right across the face, making a red mark appear onto my cheek. A loose tear escaped my eye and she left my room, slamming the door behind her. I heard her loud boots click on the floor and into her bedroom.

I looked into the mirror and noticed the small drip of blood coming from my mouth and my forehead. I took the rag that I hid in my dresser and dabbed the spots, making them go away. I looked inside the mirror looking at the ugly creature look back at me. Once again… I felt like I didn't belong in this world. I sat down onto the ground and sobbed quietly into my hands. I was only 17 years old, and I couldn't wait to get out of this place. I needed someone to come help me, to protect me… to tell me everything is alright. I needed Clare.

**OOO**

The next morning, I had a terrible headache and blood stains on the side of my face. I cleaned up and once again, applied the make-up to cover up any evidence. Mom's abusing has gotten worse, it was just every other week, and now it's almost daily.

I grabbed the toast on the counter, and headed out to Clare's to pick her up. Of course, she was already sitting on the sidewalk, typing away on her laptop and listening to music. I snuck up behind her, trying my best not to make any noises. When I got close enough, I could hear her singing. Damn, her voice is beautiful. I wonder if she knows that. I smiled and wrapped my hands around her eyes with a simple "Guess who" she screamed lightly and jumped with a small smile, now standing in front of me.

"You have a great voice, Clare… you should try out for the musical. I bet you'll get the lead part." I smirked as the small blush appeared onto her cheeks. She was so cute when she blushed, damn, she was always cute.

"T-thank you… " She stammered looking down at her feet.  
>"Don't feel embarrassed… you are going to get a lot of compliments in life." I smiled<br>"Oh, um… Eli. Can you do something for me?"  
>"Sure, Clare… anything you need."<br>"Okay, well you remember KC? Well, he wants to talk with me after school, so I was wondering if you could keep look out, like hide and just watch in case he tries anything on me?" She asked with a nervous tone. At first I didn't like the idea, but she sound pretty serious about it.  
>"Sure, if he hurts you, or whatever, I will come and beat his ass." I smiled and she giggled while hitting her books against my chest.<p>

"Oh, and another thing, Eli… I had dinner reservations for dinner for my friend and I, but she can't make it, so I was wondering… if you would come with me?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"Sure, we wouldn't want to let a good dinner go to waste, now would we?" I smiled. SCORE! I yelled mentally in my head. We're now taking that one step forward.

**OOO**

Clare looked absolutely amazing. She had on a light blue dress that went to her knees and a white sweater. Her make-up was done perfectly, and her hair was slightly curlier than it usually was.

"S-stop staring… it's not polite." She smiled and stepped closer to me.  
>"Oh, I'm sorry… It's not my fault that there is a beautiful girl standing in front of me." I smirked as the small blush appeared on her cheeks. She was so damn cute when she blushed. If only she knew.<p>

"Well, let's go, we don't want to be late." She whispered walking past me into the restaurant. She walked up to the desk and told the waiter her last name. The man took a second to find her name and smiled, leading us to a booth right next to the band and where the food was.

"So, Clare… can you tell me why exactly you're going to meet up with KC?" I asked taking a sip from my drink.  
>"He said it was important, and I will have you by my side… so it's going to be okay." She shrugged her shoulders and took a drink from her iced tea.<p>

The waiter came by asking what our orders were, of course, Clare went first. "Yes, I will like to have your smoked ribs, fries, and a small bowl of chili." She smiled at the waiter as her scribbled down her order on his notepad.  
>"Okay, hmm, I will like the steak, medium-rare, fries and a bowl of salad."<br>"Alright, thank you. Your food will be right out." He grabbed our menus and went to the back. I was so hungry, I could eat _anything._

"What did Alli have to do?" I asked sternly placing my hands underneath the table.  
>"I-I, um… She had to go somewhere with Johnny." I could hear the exaggeration in her voice.<br>"Clare, are you okay? You seem nervous or upset. Is this about KC?"  
>"I can't do this anymore, Eli… I just can't." She placed her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands.<br>"Clare, do what?"  
>"Eli… I just don't feel like talking right now."<br>"If this is about KC then we don't have to do—" She cut me off, slamming her hands onto the table.  
>"Elijah," I flinched at the sound of my full name. "I can't just be friends with you…" She closed her eyes and buried her head in her arms. I stood up from my side of the bench and sat down next to her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. <em>'Please want something more… please.'<em> I thought. I scooted closer to Clare, and she finally lifted up her head.

"Eli… I'm sorry for pushing you away that night at the park… I just felt, like we were going too fast." She let a small tear fall. "I was just scared, that if we were together that you would hate me for who I was."  
>"Clare," I wiped away her tears with my thumb. "I would never hate you… I love you, just the way you truly are." She smiled sadly and looked up at me. She looked down at my lips and nodded her head, like it was okay for me to kiss her.<p>

I slowly leaned down, stopping a few centimeters from her lips. She whispered 'Kiss me.' I smirked and placed a kiss on her lips. We didn't do anything; we just stayed in that same position. I could feel her smiling in the kiss, but we were interrupted by the waiter giving us our food. He smiled, "Sorry for disturbing you guys." Clare blushed and looked down at her food, taking in the amazing smell in front of me.

"Have a nice dinner." He smiled again and walked back into the kitchen. Clare and I stayed where we were, with her head placed on my shoulder, and my arm wrapped around hers. This moment was perfect, I just hope _nothing_ happens between us.

**OOO**

**Sorry it took SOOO long to update. I had writers block, sooo yeaH! Hahha well you know what to do.. REVIEW!**


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